Arlington says dangerous speeding on the rise as streets stay empty during pandemic

ARLINGTON, Texas - Arlington police say they’ve notice more people driving at excessive speeds as roads have emptied due to the coronavirus pandemic stay-at-home order.

Police say they’ve caught people topping 100 MPH and there were two speed-related fatalities over the Easter weekend.

Arlington police say they’ve made numerous stops where drivers are going 30-plus miles over the speed limit.

The excessive speed and danger it puts those drivers in — as well as others on the road — prompted the department to tweet over the weekend two pictures of radar guns showing how fast some drivers are going.

Police say the reckless driving isn’t just happening on the highway, they’re seeing it on city streets too.

“Not the frequency of speed so much, but those that they are coming into contact with very excessive and egregious speeds,” said Lt. Chris Cook, Arlington PD. “Because nobody is on the road they think they can get away with it. So we want to send the message, no you are not going to get away with it. You are subject to arrest actually at those speeds.”